Cultivation system and methods

ABSTRACT

A system and method for cultivating plants is described. The system may include a tower structure having a vertical series of vessels for holding a netted pot or other container. The system may have a pressurized irrigation system that is in fluid communication with each vessel. The system may further include lamps to provide an adequate light source. The system may also include sensors, monitors and controls to establish and maintain environmental conditions suitable for proper plant growth. The system may further be implemented as a scalable system in which multiple tower structures may be installed into a scaffold system. Sets of towers may be slidably affixed to a scaffold such that the towers may be slid along a track thereby creating easy access to the plants, vessels, lights and the irrigation system. The system may be expanded to include multiple scaffolds affixed to a skeletal frame or compartment interior.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.15/707,545, entitled “Cultivation System and Methods”, by the sameinventors, filed on the same day as the present application, theentirety of which is incorporated by reference.

This application is related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.15/707,462, entitled “Cultivation System and Methods”, by the sameinventors, filed on the same day as the present application, theentirety of which is incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to plant cultivation, more particularly tosystems and methods of planting, growing and harvesting a plant or othermulticellular organism.

BACKGROUND

Cultivation of plants in mass quantities is costly and presents severalchallenges to a cultivator. Growers and cultivators are faced withlimited resources needed for adequately and successfully growing andharvesting large quantities of plants and crops. Valuable resourcesnecessary for cultivation of most plants, including water, soil,nutrients, utilities, contamination control, and real-estate, are oftencostly and in short-supply and, as such, can make plant cultivationexpensive, environmentally unfriendly and limited in quantity. While theadvent of hydroponics (i.e., a method of growing plants without the useof soil) has alleviated some limitations, there is still a need for acost effective, efficient and scalable system and method for cultivatingplants.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods for cultivating plants are described. Aspects of thesystem may provide for efficient, cost-effective and large scale growingenvironments. Generally, the system may include a tower structure havinga column with a vertical series of vessels for holding a netted pot orother container. The system may have a pressurized irrigation systemthat is in fluid communication with each vessel. The system may furtherinclude lamps to provide an adequate energy source. The system may alsoinclude sensors, monitors and controls to establish and maintain idealenvironmental conditions suitable for proper plant growth.

The system may further be implemented as a scalable system in whichmultiple tower structures may be installed into a scaffold system. Setsof towers may be slidably affixed to a scaffold such that the towers maybe slid along a track thereby creating easy access to the plants,vessels, lights and irrigation system.

In yet another scalable feature, the system may be expanded to includemultiple scaffolds affixed to a frame or compartment interior. Eachscaffold, including multiple sets of grow towers, may be slidablyaffixed to the frame or a track in the compartment. Further, the growtowers may be slidable across the scaffold allowing for the creation ofmultiple grow aisles separated by an access aisle through the multiplescaffolds affixed to the frame. The system's irrigation system may be influid communication with the manifolds of each of the grow towers. Thesystem may further include a control unit in communication with severalenvironmental monitors and controllers. The control unit may beprogrammed to adapt and adjust the environment in which the system isdeployed to create an ideal environment for plant growth.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects of the present invention will become morereadily apparent from the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 depicts a grow tower assembly.

FIG. 2 depicts a partial cut-away, head-on view of a multi-towerassembly.

FIG. 3 depicts a cut-away, side-view of a tower assembly.

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of a grow tower assembly.

FIG. 5 depicts a head-on view of a multi-tower scaffold assembly.

FIG. 6 depicts a conceptual, side-view of a multi-tower growenvironment.

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of a multi-tower scaffold assembly.

FIG. 8 depicts a side-view of a multi-tower scaffold assembly.

FIG. 9 depicts a conceptual, head-on view of a multi-tower growenvironment.

FIG. 10 depicts a conceptual, top-down view of a multi-scaffold growenvironment.

FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of a multi-tower grow environment.

FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of a multi-container growenvironment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart depicting a method of cultivating a plant.

FIG. 14 illustrates a computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying figures, in which preferred embodimentsare shown. The foregoing may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the illustratedembodiments set forth herein.

All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety. References to items in the singular should be understoodto include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly statedotherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intendedto express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations ofconjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwisestated or clear from the context. Thus, the term “or” should generallybe understood to mean “and/or” and so forth.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting,referring instead individually to any and all values falling within therange, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value withinsuch a range is incorporated into the specification as if it wereindividually recited herein. The words “about,” “approximately,”“substantially,” or the like, when accompanying a numerical value ordirection are to be construed as indicating a deviation as would beappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operatesatisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numericvalues are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute alimitation on the scope of the described embodiments. The use of any andall examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodimentsand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments. Nolanguage in the specification should be construed as indicating anyunclaimed element as essential to the practice of the embodiments.

In the following description, it is understood that terms such as“first,” “second,” “third,” “above,” “below,” and the like, are words ofconvenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms unlessexpressly state otherwise.

FIG. 1 depicts a grow tower assembly 100. The grow tower assembly 100may include a column 102 and define a plurality of vessels 104 forretaining a plurality of plants 105. The grow tower assembly may includeand be in fluid communication with an irrigation system for providingwater and nutrients to the column 102. In one aspect, the grow towerassembly 100 may be implemented as a hydroponic growing system where theclosed irrigation system provides nutrient filled water to the plants105, planted without soil.

The column 102 may include or define the plurality of vessels 104arranged substantially vertically on the column 102. Each of the vessels104 may be defined at an angle offset from the central axis of thecolumn 102. Each vessel may be fitted with a netted pot (not shown), orother suitable open container for holding and maintaining a plant 105.The column 102 may define a conduit 103 extending through the center ofthe column 102. In one aspect, the column 102 may be formed or molded asa single body from a hard plastic, such as PVC, defining the pluralityof vessels 104. Alternatively, the column 102 may be or form asupporting frame structure for receiving or affixing the vessels 104thereto.

The irrigation system may include a manifold 110, a reservoir 112, apump 114 and additional plumbing 116 or piping establishing fluidcommunication between the manifold 110 and the reservoir 112. Theirrigation system and its various components may include piping, rigidor flexible, made from suitable plumbing materials such as PVC, otherplastics, copper or any combination thereof. The components of theirrigation system many be joined using known and well-understoodplumbing techniques, including clamps, welds, friction fits, screwconnections, and the like. The irrigation system may be configured todeliver fluid to the plants 105 planted in the vessels 104. As describedthroughout, the fluid intended for the irrigation system may include,separately or in combination, water, nutrients, growth simulants andother additives to aid plant growth.

A pipe 106 in fluid communication with the irrigation system, via themanifold 110, may be disposed through the conduit 103 of the column 102.The pipe 106 may be formed from a plastic such as PVC, or may be copperor other plumbing material suitable for fluid transport. The pipe 106may include perforations 107 along the length of the pipe 106 thatestablish fluid communication with the vessels 104 and the netted potsdisposed therein. The perforations may be formed and sized, as explainedfurther below, to provide a pressurized release of fluid to the plants105 disposed in the vessels 104.

A cap 108 may be affixed to the end of the pipe 106 at or below a levellower than the lowest vessel 104 of the pipe 102. The cap 108 may be inthe form of a plug, stopper, lid, seal, or the like to prevent the flowof fluid from the bottom of the pipe 106. The cap 108 may be affixed tothe pipe in any number of ways including, but not limited to, a screwingfixture, adhesives, clamps, friction fit, snap fit, or other known modesof attachment. Alternatively, the pipe 108 itself may be formed with aclosed end, eliminating the need for a cap 108. The cap 108, or sealedpipe 106, may pressurize the irrigation system, including the pipe 106.In one aspect, the manifold 110 may be located at a height above thecolumn 102. The fluid in the pipe 106, therefore may be pressurized bythe gravitation force on the fluid in combination with the cap 108plugging the pipe 106. Under pressure, the fluid in the pipe 106, mayflow, or spray from the perforations 107 in the pipe 106 to provideeffective and efficient irrigation to the vessels 104 and the plants105.

In one aspect, the reservoir 112 may be open to and located below thecolumn 102 to hold, catch or maintain a fluid reserve. Excess fluidprovided to the plants 105 may flow from the vessels 104 or the plants105 and may be collected in the reservoir 112. A pump 114 may be influid communication with the reservoir 112 and the manifold 110. Thepump 114 may be disposed in the reservoir 112, or may be placedelsewhere in fluid communication with the reservoir 112 via theadditional plumbing 116. The pump 114 may include an input port thatintakes the fluid from the reservoir 112 and outputs it, via an outputport, to the manifold 110 for distribution to the pipe 106. The pump 114may also further pressurize the irrigation system to provide andmaintain increased pressure to ensure an adequate spray from theperforations 107 in the pipe 106. The capped pipe 106 may provide apressurized delivery mechanism that yields a more efficient andeffective watering process than a traditional gravity-drip orunpressurized watering system. Additionally, in one aspect, the use of araised manifold 110 as a second reservoir above the column 102, mayallow for proper pressurization of the pipe 106 without puttingadditional stress on the pump 114 or having to maintain a fully closed(i.e., air-tight, leak-proof) and pressurized irrigation system.

FIG. 2 depicts a partial cut-away, head-on view of a multi-towerassembly 200. In one aspect, the assembly 200 may include two or morecolumns 202, 202′ hanging vertically from a brace 222. The columns 202,202′ may be affixed to the brace 222 using any suitable attachmenttechnique, including but not limited to, screws, nails, adhesives,welds, friction fits, rivets, or the like. For purposes ofvisualization, the left column 202 is fully shown. The right column 202′depicts a cut-away view of the tower with the column walls removed,revealing the pipe 206. Each column 202, 202′ may include a plurality ofvessels 204 arranged vertically along one or more sides of the column202. As shown by the right column 202′, the pipe 206 may run through aconduit of the pipe 206 that establishes fluid communication with thevessels 204 and a plurality of netted pots 218 disposed therein. Caps220 that may be of varying shape and size, such as pyramid caps, may beplaced on or around the pipe 202′ and located in between each of thevessels 204 to help divert and redirect excess fluid within the columns202, 202′ toward other plants and down to the reservoir forredistribution. The caps may also help contain and support a root massfrom each plant that extend into the tower.

FIG. 3 depicts a cut-away, side-view of a tower assembly 300. Theassembly 300 is depicted as a cut-away view with the walls of the columnremoved for illustrative purposes. One or more columns may be affixed toa brace 322, as previously described. The vessels 304 may be disposed onmultiple sides of the column 302 to maximize grow space. The vessels304, as depicted in FIG. 3, may be located on opposing sides of thecolumn. Each vessel 304 may include a netted pot 318 disposed therein.The pipe 306 may extend from the top of the column 302 to below thelowest vessel 304. Perforations 307 in the pipe may establish fluidcommunication between the pipe and the vessels 304 and the netted pots318. Caps 320 may be placed around the pipe 306 and located between eachof the vessels 304 to help divert and redirect excess fluid toward otherplants and down to the reservoir for redistribution, and contain andsupport the root mass from each plant that extend into the tower. Thecaps 320 may be pyramid shaped or may be any other shape thatfunctionally allows the redirection of fluid and support of the rootmass.

FIG. 4 depicts a side view of a grow tower assembly 400. The grow towerassembly 400 may include a column 402, a plurality of vessels 404, apipe 406 defining a plurality of perforations 407, a cap 408, a manifold410, and a brace 422 similar to those previously described herein. Ingeneral, the grow tower assembly 400 may include additional structuralcomponents to provide for attachment to a beam 430. The beam 430 may bepart of or affixed to a scaffold or other supporting structure. In oneaspect, the grow tower assembly 400 may be moveably affixed to ascaffold. In one such arrangement, the brace 422 may be fixedly attachedto a support 424, which may, in turn, be connected to a sliding element426. The sliding element 426 may be in the form of one or more wheels,disks, bearings, magnets or other suitable components allowing forreduced-friction movement across a track, rail, slide, hanger, orbracket, such as a rail bracket 428. The rail bracket 428 may be fixedlyattached to the beam 430, and may include or form one or more flanges423 or other such retaining components to ensure retention of thesliding element 426. The beam 430 may be installed on a scaffold, cage,frame or other structure, as explained in further detail below, suchthat the grow tower assembly 400, may be moved along the rail bracket428 and the beam 430 in a sliding or other low-friction movement.

FIG. 5 depicts a head-on view of a multi-tower scaffold assembly 500.The multi-tower scaffold assembly 500 may include a scaffold 540 forholding or receiving one or more multi-tower assemblies 501. Eachmulti-tower assembly 501 may include two or more columns 502, each witha plurality of vessels 504 and a brace 522. As previously detailed, eachcolumn 502 may include a conduit and a perforated pipe (not shown)extending through the column 502. The pipes may also be in fluidcommunication with an irrigation system (not shown) as described herein.

In one aspect, the scaffold 540 may be a framework, cage, or otherstructure made of metal, wood, high-density plastic or other rigidmaterial, or a combination thereof. The scaffold 540 may include a beam530 and a series of struts 542. The beam 530 may be fixedly attached tothe scaffold 540 and may also include a track 528 affixed to the beam530. Each multi-tower assembly 501 may include a support 524 andadditional hardware components, such as those previously described, forattachment of the multi-tower assembly 501 to the track 528 on the beam530. The struts 542 may be horizontally arranged across one or moresides of the scaffold 540. Alternatively, the scaffold may also orinstead include vertical struts. The struts may be adapted to hold orreceive lamps 560, environmental sensors, utility wires or cables, orother equipment used to cultivate the plants. In one aspect, the lamps560 may be attached to the struts 542 and aligned according to thelocation and angles of the vessels 504 in such a way to maximize thenecessary light required to form an ideal growth environment for theplants. The lamps 560 may be LED lamps, such as 660W LED lamps,incandescent or fluorescent lamps, infrared lamps, or other suitableenergy source.

In another aspect, the scaffold assembly 540 may be moveably attached toor hung from a larger structure such as a frame 538. The frame 538 maytake the form of an open three-dimensional frame or skeletal structureor may be in the form of a walled or partially-walled compartment orenclosure, such as a shipping or intermodal freight container. Inanother aspect, the scaffold 540 may include scaffold supports 532 andsliding components 534. The frame 538 may include a track, rail, slide,hanger, bracket or other suitable structure such as a rail bracket 536to hold or receive the sliding elements 534 of the scaffold 540. In suchan arrangement, the scaffold 540 may be moved in a sliding, or otherlow-friction, movement through the frame 538, allowing for easyinstallation and arrangement of one or more scaffolds 540 within thespace defined by the frame 538. While the system and components shown inFIG. 5 include a rail bracket 538 with an engaging sliding element 536,one of skill in the art will recognize that other mechanisms, such aswheels, disks, bearings, magnets, or other reduced-friction componentsmay be implemented without deviating from the scope of the invention.Further, while the scaffolds 540 and other supporting structuresdescribed herein may be generally depicted as three-dimensionalrectangular structures, one of skill in the art will recognize thatscaffolds 540 and frames 538 may be implemented in other shapes andsizes, including without limitation, circular, oval, cubed, cylindrical,triangular, or any other regular, irregular, symmetric or non-symmetricpolygon, to allow for maximum use of a given amount of space or volume.

FIG. 6 depicts a conceptual side-view of a multi-tower grow environment600. In general, the multi-tower grow environment may include a frame638 that houses or hangs one or more grow tower assemblies 601 orscaffold assemblies 640, as previously described. The frame 638 may be askeletal framework, an enclosure, a compartment or other structuresuitable for holding or hanging the scaffold assemblies 640 containingthe grow tower assemblies 601. The scaffold assemblies 640 may includelamps 650 affixed thereto to provide light to the plants residing in thevessels of the grow tower assemblies 601.

The multi-tower grow environment 600 may further include an irrigationsystem that includes a manifold 610, a reservoir 612, a pump 614, andadditional pipes or plumbing 616 establishing fluid communicationtherethrough. In one aspect, the manifold 610 may be acommon-distribution manifold located above the grow tower assemblies 601and be in fluid communication with the capped pipes 606 of theindividual grow towers. In such an arrangement, and in combination withthe capped pipes 606 of the grow tower assemblies 601, gravity may actupon the fluid in the manifold 610 to pressurize the capped pipes 606and establish a spray dispersion of the fluid, via the perforations inthe capped pipes 606, to the vessels 604 and the plants disposedtherein. The manifold 610 may also or instead be in fluid communicationwith the pump 614 to maintain pressurization as well as recirculatefluid from the reservoir 612 to the manifold 610. The pump 614 may bedisposed in or near the reservoir 612 or may be located outside of thereservoir 612 with additional plumbing providing fluid communicationwith the other components of the irrigation system.

In one aspect, the reservoir 612 may be an open, common collectionreservoir disposed and extending beneath the grow-tower assemblies 601throughout the frame 638. In such a configuration, excess fluid that isnot absorbed or held by the plants, vessels 604 or pipes 606 may becollected in the reservoir 612 for redistribution to the manifold 610,via the pump 614, and recirculation to the grow tower assemblies 601.

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of a multi-tower scaffold assembly700. In one aspect, the scaffold 740 may include a beam 730 affixed toand extending across the scaffold. The beam 730 may also or insteadinclude any supporting element or structure capable of receiving,holding and withstanding the weight of the multi-tower grow assemblies.The scaffold 740 may also include a plurality of struts (not shown) forholding or receiving a plurality of lamps 750. The multi-tower scaffoldassembly 700 may also include the multi-tower grow assemblies, includingthe columns 702 and the vessels 704, attached to the braces 722 whichare, in turn, attached to the beam 730. As previously described, thebraces 722 may be attached to the beam 730 in a moveable fashion, suchas a track or other sliding engagement, to allow the braces 722, and theattached grow towers to slide across the width of the scaffold asindicated by the directional arrows 731. As explained in detail below,the sliding attachment of the grow tower assemblies to the beam 730 andthe scaffold 740 may allow access to the grow towers and the plantsdisposed therein, particularly in arrangements featuring multiplescaffolds combined in a confined space or area.

The multi-tower scaffold assembly 700 may further include attachmentstructures for attaching the scaffolds 740 to a frame, compartment orcontainer. In one aspect, the attachment structure may include one ormore tracks 736 or rails disposed at or near the sides of the scaffold740. Alternatively, the scaffold may be attached to the frame orcompartment by tracks, rails or other guiding structures located on oneor more of the top, bottom, or sides of the scaffold 740. The tracks 736may be fixedly attached to a frame or a wall of a compartment and mayreceive the scaffold 740 in a sliding engagement to allow the scaffold470 to move or slide the length of the track 736, as indicated by thedirectional arrow 733. As described below, the frame may also or insteadinclude a stand-alone frame built to maximize the space of a givenvolume.

FIG. 8 depicts a side-view of a multi-tower scaffold assembly 800. Thescaffold 840 may include a beam 830 and struts for the holding orreceiving of a plurality of lamps 850 and other equipment. The lamps 850may be arranged and aligned to provide ideal lighting conditions for theplants disposed in the vessels 804 of the columns 802. The grow towers,as previously detailed, may be attached to a brace 822, which may beattached to the beam 830 in a sliding arrangement. The track 836 may beaffixed to a framework or compartment for sliding engagement allowingthe scaffold 840 to move the length of the track 836, as indicated bythe directional arrow 831.

FIG. 9 depicts a conceptual head-on view of a multi-tower growenvironment 900. The multi-tower grow environment 900 may be housed,contained or implemented in or on a frame 938 that receives, holds,hangs or otherwise maintains one or more scaffolds 940. The towerassemblies 901, including the braces 922 and the supports 924, may beattached to a beam 930 affixed to the scaffold 940. The multi-tower growenvironment 900 may also include an irrigation system including amanifold 910 disposed above and extending across the tower assemblies901 and a reservoir 912 located beneath. In one aspect, an access area954 may be defined between two portions of the reservoir 912. The accessarea 954 may be suitable for running, cables, wires, additionalplumbing, or other equipment necessary for creating and maintaining anideal grow environment. The frame 938 may also include or provide for afloor 957 disposed above the reservoir 912 and access area 954. Thefloor 957, in one aspect, may be a grated floor to allow the excess flowof fluid from the multi-tower grow assemblies 901 to the reservoir 912.Alternatively, the floor may also or instead include one or more drainsdisposed therein to funnel, divert or redirect any fluid to thereservoir 912, or another fluid receptacle or outlet. As explained infurther detail below, the floor 957 may provide a walking surface for atechnician or cultivator to walk through the frame 938 to access theplants, tower assemblies 901 or other equipment contained within theframe 938.

In one aspect, the two tower assemblies 901 may be initially positionedat opposite sides of the scaffold, creating an access aisle betweenthere between. As described above, the tower assemblies 901 may beattached to the beam 930 and scaffold 940 in a moveable fashion suchthat the tower assemblies 901 may be moved or slid on a track towardsthe center of the scaffold 940, depicted as tower assemblies 901′. Inone aspect, when multiple scaffolds 940, holding multiple towerassemblies 901 are positioned in close proximity to each other withinthe frame 938, to maximize grow area, the maneuverability of the towerassemblies 901 towards the access aisle offers easy access to the plantsand the tower assemblies 901. Often, and with particular plants, crops,or other hydroponically grown organisms, the plants themselves mayrequire maintenance. If, for example, plants need to be trimmed,replanted, or otherwise cared-for, the ability to move the towerassembly 901 out from the confines of the crowded side portions of theframe 938 and into a center access aisle, provides a great advantage toa cultivator maintaining the plants or a technician servicing orrepairing the system. The cultivator may walk through the frame 938 tothe tower assembly 901 requiring attention, slide the tower assembly 901to the center of the scaffold 940, perform the required maintenance, andslide the tower assembly 901 back to its original location at or nearthe side of the scaffold 940. Not only does the described configurationallow for easy access to the plants and equipment, it also allows fordrastically increasing the quantity of plants that can be grown in veryclose proximity, maximizing the yield of the crop.

FIG. 10 depicts a conceptual top-down view of a multi-scaffold growenvironment 1000. Referring to FIG. 9, the head-on-view of themulti-tower grow environment 900 is depicted as the cross-sectionalview, taken across arrow 1055, of the top-down view of FIG. 10. Ingeneral, the multi-scaffold grow environment 1000 includes aconfiguration of equipment and grow space that maximizes yield, yetoffers significant savings on valuable resources, including but notlimited to water, electricity, other utilities and real-estate. In oneaspect, the multi-scaffold grow environment 1000 may be configured orimplemented in a compartment or a container 1038 such as a shipping orintermodal freight container. The container 1038 may include a frame aspart of the container or affixed thereto. The frame, alternatively maybe the container itself or a portion thereof. As detailed herein, thecontainer 1038 may include a track system onto which a plurality ofmulti-tower scaffold assemblies 1040 may be hung or otherwise placed.Each scaffold assembly 1040 may be placed in or on the track and movedthrough the container 1038, as indicted by directional arrow 1033.Advantageously, the number of scaffold assemblies 1040 may be expandedto maximize as many scaffold assemblies 1040 as the depth of thecontainer 1038 may accommodate. The frame may also or instead be formedto conform to an existing volume or geometry of a given space.

In one aspect, the arrangement and configuration of the multi-towerassemblies within each scaffold assembly 1040 may form or otherwisedefine two grow area aisles 1058 separated by an access aisle 1056therebetween. The positioning of the multi-tower assemblies on the outeredges of the scaffold assemblies 1040 and the container 1038 allow acultivator or technician to walk through the container 1038 to accesseach of the scaffold assemblies 1040 and the grow towers containedtherein. While the illustrative example of FIG. 10 depicts four scaffoldassemblies 1040, the number is merely illustrative and additionalscaffold assemblies 1040 may be installed back-to-back to maximize thenumber of plants grown in the container 1038 at one time. One skilled inthe art will appreciate that when the maximum number of scaffoldassemblies 1040 are installed onto the frame 1038 or container, accessto the grow areas aisles is limited. Providing further ease of accessmay be the sliding arrangement of the grow tower assemblies within thescaffold assemblies 1040. A cultivator or technician may walk down theaccess aisle 1056 to the scaffold assembly 1040, slide the grow-towerassembly from the grow area aisle 1058 into the access aisle 1056 andperform whatever maintenance or planting operations are necessary.

In one aspect, the multi-scaffold grow environment 1000 may include acontrol unit 1060. The control unit 1060 may be located on or within thecontainer 1038, or may be located remotely. In one aspect, the controlunit 1060 may serve to maintain and control the environmental conditionsin which the plans are grown. The control unit 1060 may be incommunication with several environmental controllers and sensors locatedthroughout the multi-scaffold grow environment 1000. Environmentalcontrollers may include, without limitation, air conditioners/heaters,humidifiers/dehumidifiers, lamp controllers, vents, and carbon dioxidetanks. Sensors for environmental conditions, such as temperature,humidity, air quality, oxygen, carbon dioxide, light quantity orintensity, may be placed throughout the container 1038 and be in wiredor wireless communication with the control unit 1060. The control unit1060 may also or instead include monitors and controls for theirrigation system as well, including but not limited to, sensors forwater or fluid level, conductivity, fluid pressure, pH, andnutrient/water ratio.

The control unit 1060 may include processors, memory and storageconfigured to automatically control, activate and adjust theenvironmental controllers to maintain ideal environmental conditions forthe growing environment. The multi-scaffold grow environment 1000 mayfurther include a local area network (“LAN”) for interconnection of thecontrol unit 1060, the environmental sensors, and the environmentalcontrollers, as well as other network devices designed and implementedto promote and maintain an ideal growing environment. The local areanetwork may be wired or wireless, and may be connected to a wide-areanetwork (“WAN”), such as the Internet, to provide additionalcommunication pathways.

The control unit 1060 may be programmed or otherwise configured toreceive data from the sensors, compare the data from the sensors topreset or programmed threshold ranges, and automatically adjust theenvironmental controllers to maintain the environment or bring it intothe specified ranges. For example, a thermometer or other temperaturesensor may report an out of range condition to the control unit 1060,which will, in turn, activate an air conditioner/heater to bring thetemperature back into an appropriate range. As another example, areservoir sensor may indicate a low fluid level, to which the controlunit 1060 may activate a water supply to return the fluid level to anappropriate volume, and dispense an appropriate amount of nutrient forplant growth as well as any pH regulators to reestablish a presetcondition of the fluid and the irrigation system. Additionally, thecontrol unit 1060 may monitor the environmental conditions and inform oralert a cultivator or technician of an out-of-range condition. In oneaspect, the technician may adjust the controllers from the control unit1060, or may remotely control the control unit and the controllers usingan application on a computing device such as a mobile device, laptop,PC, tablet, or other suitable programmable device. The computing devicemay connect to and interact with the control unit 1060, the sensors orthe environmental controllers across the available networks via wiredconnections (e.g., Ethernet, USB, or the like) wireless connections(e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RF, Infrared, CDMA, GSM, or the like), or acombination thereof.

FIG. 11 depicts a perspective view of a multi-scaffold grow environment1100. The multi-scaffold grow environment 1100 includes four exemplaryscaffold assemblies 1140 a-d. One of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that certain features of the scaffold assemblies 1140 a-d maybe omitted to more clearly highlight other aspects of the system, andthat the illustrative depictions of the scaffold assemblies 1140 a-d aremeant to be interpreted as depictions of various components that may orinstead be implemented according to certain aspects of the invention.One of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that some orall of the depicted features may be used separately or in combination toform the components of the multi-scaffold grow environment 1100.

The frame 1138 may be a wall-less framework or may be an enclosure orcontainer, as previously described. The frame 1138 is depicted withoutwalls for illustrative purposes. The frame 1038 may include one or moretracks 1136 for receiving and holding a plurality of scaffold assemblies1140 a-d. In one aspect, the track 1136 may include a set of tracks orrails affixed to the opposing sides of the frame 1038 and extending thelength of the frame 1038. Alternatively, the track 1136 may be in theform of a central rail or beam located on the top or bottom of theframe, and which receives a bracket or other mounting hardware affixedto the scaffolds 1040 a-d, allowing for reduced-friction movement of thescaffolds 1040 a-d through the frame. As detailed above, the frame maybe in the form of a three-dimensional framework, or may be in the formof a compartment or container, such as an intermodal freight or shippingcontainer.

The multi-scaffold grow environment 1100 may further include anirrigation system including a manifold 1110, one or more reservoirs 1112and additional plumbing 1116 establishing fluid communication throughoutand with the pipes of the individual grow towers. The frame 1138 mayfurther include a control unit (not shown) as previously described tomaintain and control the growing environment therein.

The multi-tower scaffold assemblies 1040 a-d may each include a beam1130 and mounting hardware 1162, such as brackets, sliding elements,supports and other hardware to provide for the sliding attachment of thescaffold assemblies 1140 a-d to the track 1136 affixed to the frame1138. When placed onto the track 1136, the scaffold assemblies 1140 a-dmay move down the track 1136 as depicted by the directional arrow 1165.The multi-tower assemblies 1101 may be attached, via braces or othersupporting structures to the beams 1130, in a moveable manner to allowthe tower assemblies 1101 to slide laterally across the scaffold to thecenter of the frame 1138 as depicted by the directional arrow 1161. Inone aspect, locking mechanisms may be implemented along the track 1136and on mounting hardware 1162 to allow each scaffold to be locked inplace once installed to prevent accidental movement of the scaffoldassembly and secure the scaffolds should the frame 1138 need to betransported.

The scaffold assembly 1140 a depicts a four-tower assembly configurationin which two grow towers are included in each of two tower assemblies1101, totaling the four grow towers in the scaffold 1140 a. Each growtower assembly may be slid or otherwise moved to the center of thescaffold into the access aisle for ease of access and maintenance of theplants and equipment.

In another aspect, the scaffold assembly 1140 b may include struts forreceiving or holding a plurality of lamps 1150 b and other equipment.The lamps 1150 be may be horizontally arranged and aligned with thevessels of the grow towers in such a manner as to maximize exposure ofthe plants to the light, while minimizing the amount and number oflights used. Additionally, the lamps 1150 may include sensors and othercircuitry in communication with the control unit, allowing the lamps1150 to be controlled remotely to maintain an ideal growing environment.

In another aspect, the scaffold assembly 1140 c may include verticalstruts and vertically aligned lamps 1150 c. The lamps 1150 c may bemounted to the vertical struts and aligned and arranged in such avertical manner as to maximize exposure of the plants to the light,while minimizing the amount and number of lights used. The scaffoldassembly 1140 c may include struts on one or more sides of the scaffoldassembly 1140 c to accommodate grow towers (not shown) in which vesselsare located on additional, or opposing sides of the individual growcolumns.

In yet another aspect, the scaffold assembly 1140 d may include lightingstructures that include a lamp support 1153 and multiple lamps 1150 d.The lamps 1150 d may be arranged and aligned with the vessels of thegrow towers (not shown) so as to maximize exposure of the plants to thelight, while minimizing the amount and number of lights used. The lampsupport 1152, in one aspect may also be slidably attached to thescaffold in a manner similar to the grow tower assemblies. For example,the lamp support 1153 may be attached to a track on the scaffold toallow for the lamp support 1153 to move laterally across the scaffold,as depicted by directional arrow 1163. Such a configuration provideseasy access to the lamps 1150 d (and other equipment attached to thestruts) for maintenance, repair or other servicing. A technician mayapproach the scaffold assembly 1140 d via the access aisle, slide thelamp support 1156 across its track into the access aisle, perform thenecessary maintenance or service, and slide the lamp support 1156 backto the grow area aisle.

The frame 1138 may be loaded with as many scaffold assemblies 1140 a-das may be accommodated by the depth and volume of the frame 1138. In oneaspect, the scaffold assemblies may be horizontally stacked against eachother to maximize the number of grow towers 1101 in the frame 1138.Under such a configuration, the number of lamps 1150 b-d may be reducedas the energy output by the lamps may be directed at the grow towers1101 of an adjacent scaffold assembly. Alternatively, separate lampassemblies may be hung from the frame 1138 in a similar manner as thescaffold assemblies 1140 a-d for independent movement and access.

While the embodiments depicted herein include a tower assembly with twotowers connected to a single brace, one of skill in the art willrecognize that fewer or more grow towers may be implemented in a towerassembly to accommodate variations in volume, output and cultivationresources. Further, while the embodiments depict scaffold assembliesincluding two tower assemblies attached to a scaffold, it will beappreciated that fewer or more tower assemblies may be implementedwithout deviating from the scope of the invention.

While the embodiments depicted herein, include a tower assembly attachedto a single rail track affixed to a beam, one of skill in the art willrecognize that other sliding or moving arrangements may be implementedwithout deviating from the scope of the invention. Similarly, while thescaffold assemblies are depicted herein as attaching to the framesthrough engagement of two tracks located on opposite sides of thescaffold, it will be appreciated that the scaffold assemblies maymoveably engage with the frame through any number of engagement systems,such as a single top rail, a single bottom rail, a dual top and bottomrail, or the like.

Further, while the embodiments detailed herein describe themaneuverability of the tower assemblies and the scaffold assemblies in asliding fashion, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatadditional manners of maneuverability may be implemented withoutdeviating from the scope of the invention, including a stepped orratcheted movement, gliding movement, spring loaded ormechanically-biased movement, or the like.

FIG. 12 depicts a perspective view of a multi-container grow environment1200. In one aspect, the modular and scalable nature of the grow towerassemblies, the scaffold assemblies and the frames or containers 1238provides for a multi-container grow environment 1200 in which aplurality of containers 1238, such as shipping or intermodal freightcontainers, may be placed adjacently, stacked or otherwise arranged toestablish a large quantity of growing plants in an efficient andcost-effective manner. In one aspect, the containers 1238 and the openframe 1239 may be filled with scaffold assemblies (not shown), eachcontaining multiple grow tower assemblies, and arranged in a stacked anddense configuration to maximize the grow space within a certain volume1264.

As previously mentioned, a vital, yet scarce resource for the growth andcultivation of crops and mass-produced plants, is real-estate. As realproperty suitable for growing and sustaining crops or plants becomesscarcer and more expensive, aspects of the present invention allow forthe repurposing of retired or extra, freight containers of otherstructures. These containers may be used to implement the presentlydisclosed system by converting the spaces within to create effective andcost-efficient growing environments for plants, crops and othermulticellular organisms. In addition to real-estate, additionalresources such as water, electricity and light are also required forsuccessful cultivation. Those elements may also be in short supply anddifficult to effectively control and manage. Aspects of the presentinvention provide for the ability to densely position, cultivate andharvest plants in such a way as to minimize the required soil, water,electricity and light requirements.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart depicting a method 1300 of cultivating a plant.The systems described herein may provide for an ideal environment inwhich to cultivate a large quantity of a plant. As shown in step 1302,the method 1300 may begin by placing seedlings in the netted pots of thevessels of the grown towers. Each of the vessels may be arrangedsubstantially vertically along one or more of the sides of the columnsof the grow towers. In one aspect, the grow towers may be hydroponicgrow towers, thereby eliminating the need for soil.

As shown in step 1304 the method 1300 may pressurize an irrigationsystem. In one aspect, the irrigation system may be in fluidcommunication with a perforated pipe extending through a conduit of thecolumn. The irrigation system may include a manifold located at a heightnear or above the top of the grow tower. The pipe may be capped orotherwise sealed such that the gravitational flow of fluid in theirrigation system provides a pressurized flow of fluid to the pipe and aspraying distribution of the fluid to the netted pots and vessels viathe perforations in the pipe. The irrigation system may further includea pump to assist in pressurization as well as circulate fluid from areservoir containing excess or additional fluid to the manifold.

As shown in step 1306, the method 1300 may supply a nutrient to thevessels and netted pots. In one aspect, the nutrient may be a mixture ofwater and other additives intended to promote and stimulate the growthof the plants. The nutrient may be supplied to the reservoir andcirculated through the irrigation system by the pump and gravity flowfrom the manifold. The nutrient mix may be monitored via sensors, suchas a conductivity sensor, in the reservoir or irrigation system forproper mixture levels.

As shown in step 1308, the method 1300 may include exposing the vesselsand netted pots to light. In one aspect, light may be provided by one ormore lamps aligned with the vessels of the grow tower to maximizeexposure and minimize the number of lamps. The lamps may be LED lamps,incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, infrared, or other suitableenergy sources for providing appropriate energy to the plants.

As shown in step 1310, the method may include receiving environmentaldata from a plurality of sensors positioned throughout the growenvironment. As detailed above, the environmental data may be in theform of, for example and without limitation, temperature, humidity, airquality, light intensity, carbon dioxide levels, oxygen levels and otherambient conditions. The environmental data may also include datarelating to the irrigation system and the fluids contained therein. Forexample, the environmental data may include, without limitation, fluidlevel, conductivity, fluid temperature, nutrient concentration, andpressure. The environmental data from the sensors may be received,stored and analyzed by a control unit. The control unit may be in wiredor wireless communication with the environmental sensors.

As shown in step 1312, the method 1300 may include determining if theenvironmental conditions of the grow environment are in appropriateranges for an ideal plant growth. The control unit may be programmedwith preset ranges of allowable environmental conditions. Upon thereceipt of the environmental data from the sensors, the control unit mayanalyze the data and determine if the environmental conditions arewithin the preset ranges.

As shown in step 1314, if the environmental data received from one ormore of the sensors indicates an out-of-range condition, the controlunit may adjust the environmental controllers to remedy the conditionand/or make a notification to a cultivator or technician. The controlunit may be in communication with environmental controllers such as,without limitations, air conditioners/heaters, humidifier/dehumidifiers,fans, vents, lamps, pumps, water sources, nutrient dispensers, andoxygen tanks. The method 1300 may then receive updated environmentaldata from the sensors to determine if the out-of-range condition hasbeen remedied.

The control unit may also or instead notify a cultivator or technicianof an out of range condition or other maintenance need. Upon receipt ofthe notification, the cultivator or technician may determine that a growtower, one of its plants, or other affixed equipment requires attention(i.e., a fault in the cultivation system or equipment that requiresservice or replacement, a plant requires trimming or replacement, or thelike). According to aspects of the system and methods described herein,the cultivator or technician may visit the grown environment, locate thefault in the system equipment through an access aisle, slide the growtower or light assembly from the grow aisle to the access aisle, andperform the necessary maintenance. The tower or light assembly may thenbe slid back to its original location, thereby clearing the accessaisle. If the condition is remedied, or if the environmental conditionsare all within appropriate ranges, the method may continue to monitorthe conditions, as shown in step 1316.

FIG. 14 illustrates a computer system 1400. In general, the computersystem 1400 may include a computing device 1410, such as aspecial-purpose computer designed and implemented for monitoring,controlling, and optimizing the cultivation of a plant or crop ofplants. The computing device 1410 may be or include data sources,servers, client devices, and so forth. For example, the computing device1410 may include a desktop computer workstation. The computing device1410 may also or instead be any device suitable for interacting withother devices or sensors over a network 1402, such as a laptop computer,a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant, a tablet, a mobilephone, a television, a set top box, a wearable computer, and the like.The computing device 1410 may include a server such as any of theservers described above. In certain aspects, the computing device 1410may be implemented using hardware or a combination of software andhardware. The computing device 1410 may be a standalone device, a deviceintegrated into another entity or device, a platform distributed acrossmultiple entities, or a virtualized device executing in a virtualizationenvironment.

The network 1402 may include any data network(s) or internetwork(s)suitable for communicating data and control information amongparticipants in the computer system 1400. This may include publicnetworks such as the Internet, private networks, and telecommunicationsnetworks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network or cellularnetworks using third generation cellular technology (e.g., 3G orIMT-2000), fourth generation cellular technology (e.g., 4G, LTE.MT-Advanced, E-UTRA, etc.) or WiMax-Advanced (IEEE 802.16m)) and/orother technologies, as well as any of a variety of corporate area,metropolitan area, campus or other local area networks or enterprisenetworks, along with any switches, routers, hubs, gateways, and the likethat might be used to carry data among participants in the computersystem 1400. The network 1402 may also include a combination of datanetworks, and need not be limited to a strictly public or privatenetwork.

The external device 1404 may be any computer or other remote resourcethat connects to the computing device 1410 through the network 1402.This may include any of the servers or data sources described above.

In general, the computing device 1410 may include a processor 1412, amemory 1414, a network interface 1416, a data store 1418, and one ormore input/output interfaces 1420. The computing device 1410 may furtherinclude or be in communication with peripherals 1422 and other externalinput/output devices that might connect to the input/output interfaces1420.

The processor 1412 may be any processor or other processing circuitrycapable of processing instructions for execution within the computingdevice 1410 or computer system 1400. The processor 1412 may include asingle-threaded processor, a multi-threaded processor, a multi-coreprocessor and so forth. The processor 1412 may be capable of processinginstructions stored in the memory 1414 or the data store 1418.

The memory 1414 may store information within the computing device 1410.The memory 1414 may include any volatile or non-volatile memory or othercomputer-readable medium, including without limitation a Random AccessMemory (RAM), a flash memory, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a ProgrammableRead-only Memory (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), registers, and soforth. The memory 1414 may store program instructions, program data,executables, and other software and data useful for controllingoperation of the computing device 1410 and configuring the computingdevice 1410 to perform functions for a user. The memory 1414 may includea number of different stages and types of memory for different aspectsof operation of the computing device 1410. For example, a processor mayinclude on-board memory and/or cache for faster access to certain dataor instructions, and a separate, main memory or the like may be includedto expand memory capacity as desired. All such memory types may be apart of the memory 1414 as contemplated herein.

The memory 1414 may, in general, include a non-volatile computerreadable medium containing computer code that, when executed by thecomputing device 1410 creates an execution environment for a computerprogram in question, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, aprotocol stack, a database management system, an operating system, or acombination of the foregoing, and that performs some or all of the stepsset forth in the various flow charts and other algorithmic descriptionsset forth herein. While a single memory 1414 is depicted, it will beunderstood that any number of memories may be usefully incorporated intothe computing device 1410. For example, a first memory may providenon-volatile storage such as a disk drive for permanent or long-termstorage of files and code even when the computing device 1410 is powereddown. A second memory such as a random access memory may providevolatile (but higher speed) memory for storing instructions and data forexecuting processes. A third memory may be used to improve performanceby providing higher speed memory physically adjacent to the processor1412 for registers, caching and so forth.

The network interface 1416 may include any hardware and/or software forconnecting the computing device 1410 in a communicating relationshipwith other resources through the network 1402. This may include remoteresources accessible through the Internet, as well as local resourcesavailable using short range communications protocols using, e.g.,physical connections (e.g., Ethernet), radio frequency communications(e.g., Wi-Fi), optical communications, (e.g., fiber optics, infrared, orthe like), ultrasonic communications, or any combination of these orother media that might be used to carry data between the computingdevice 1410 and other devices. The network interface 1416 may, forexample, include a router, a modem, a network card, an infraredtransceiver, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a near fieldcommunications interface, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagreader, or any other data reading or writing resource or the like.

More generally, the network interface 1416 may include any combinationof hardware and software suitable for coupling the components of thecomputing device 1410 to other computing or communications resources. Byway of example and not limitation, this may include electronics for awired or wireless Ethernet connection operating according to the IEEE802.11 standard (or any variation thereof), or any other short or longrange wireless networking components or the like. This may includehardware for short range data communications such as Bluetooth or aninfrared transceiver, which may be used to couple to other localdevices, or to connect to a local area network or the like that is inturn coupled to a data network 1402 such as the Internet. This may alsoor instead include hardware/software for a WiMax connection or acellular network connection (using, e.g., CDMA, GSM, LTE, or any othersuitable protocol or combination of protocols). The network interface1416 may be included as part of the input/output devices 1420 orvice-versa.

The data store 1418 may be any internal memory store providing acomputer-readable medium such as a disk drive, an optical drive, amagnetic drive, a flash drive, or other device capable of providing massstorage for the computing device 1410. The data store 1418 may storecomputer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, andother data for the computing device 1410 or computer system 1400 in anon-volatile form for relatively long-term, persistent storage andsubsequent retrieval and use. For example, the data store 1418 may storean operating system, application programs, program data, databases,files, and other program modules or other software objects and the like.

The input/output interface 1420 may support input from and output toother devices that might couple to the computing device 1410. This may,for example, include serial ports (e.g., RS-232 ports), universal serialbus (USB) ports, optical ports, Ethernet ports, telephone ports, audiojacks, component audio/video inputs, HDMI ports, and so forth, any ofwhich might be used to form wired connections to other local devices.This may also or instead include an infrared interface, RF interface,magnetic card reader, or other input/output system for wirelesslycoupling in a communicating relationship with other local devices. Itwill be understood that, while the network interface 1416 for networkcommunications is described separately from the input/output interface1420 for local device communications, these two interfaces may be thesame, or may share functionality, such as where a USB port is used toattach to a Wi-Fi accessory, or where an Ethernet connection is used tocouple to a local network attached storage.

A peripheral 1422 may include any device used to provide information toor receive information from the computing device 1400. This may includehuman input/output (I/O) devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a mousepad, a track ball, a joystick, a microphone, a foot pedal, a camera, atouch screen, a scanner, or other device that might be employed by theuser 1430 to provide input to the computing device 1410. This may alsoor instead include a display, a speaker, a printer, a projector, aheadset or any other audiovisual device for presenting information to auser. The peripheral 1422 may also or instead include a digital signalprocessing device, an actuator, or other device to support control of orcommunication with other devices or components. Other I/O devicessuitable for use as a peripheral 1422 include haptic devices,three-dimensional rendering systems, augmented-reality displays, and soforth. In one aspect, the peripheral 1422 may serve as the networkinterface 1416, such as with a USB device configured to providecommunications via short range (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Infrared, RF, orthe like) or long range (e.g., cellular data or WiMax) communicationsprotocols. In another aspect, the peripheral 1422 may augment operationof the computing device 1410 with additional functions or features, suchas a global positioning system (GPS) device, a security dongle, or anyother device. In another aspect, the peripheral 1422 may include astorage device such as a flash card, USB drive, or other solid-statedevice, or an optical drive, a magnetic drive, a disk drive, or otherdevice or combination of devices suitable for bulk storage. Moregenerally, any device or combination of devices suitable for use withthe computing device 1400 may be used as a peripheral 1422 ascontemplated herein.

Other hardware 1426 may be incorporated into the computing device 1400such as a co-processor, a digital signal processing system, a mathco-processor, a graphics engine, a video driver, a camera, a microphone,speakers, and so forth. The other hardware 1426 may also or insteadinclude expanded input/output ports, extra memory, additional drives(e.g., a DVD drive or other accessory), and so forth.

A bus 1432 or combination of busses may serve as an electromechanicalbackbone for interconnecting components of the computing device 1400such as the processor 1412, memory 1414, network interface 1416, otherhardware 1426, data store 1418, and input/output interface. As shown inthe figure, each of the components of the computing device 1410 may beinterconnected using a system bus 1432 in a communicating relationshipfor sharing controls, commands, data, power, and so forth.

It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above areset forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations,additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation ofmethod steps in the description and drawings above is not intended torequire this order of performing the recited steps unless a particularorder is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus,while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications in form and details may be made therein without departingfrom the spirit and scope of this disclosure and are intended to form apart of the invention as defined by the following claims, which are tobe interpreted in the broadest sense allowable by law.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a plurality of paired columnbodies, each column body comprising: a defined conduit extending from atop of the column body to a bottom of the column body; a plurality ofsoil-less vessels arranged substantially vertically along the columnbody, each of the plurality of vessels disposed at an angle offset froma central axis of the column and in fluid communication with theconduit, each vessel is adapted to retain a plant at the angle offsetfrom the central axis; wherein each of the paired column bodies areconnected to a support brace; a scaffold, each of the paired columnbodies coupled to the scaffold by the support brace and independentlymoveable with respect to the scaffold; a beam extending laterally acrossthe scaffold; a track affixed to the beam, each support brace slidablyaffixed to the track; and an irrigation system, the irrigation systemcomprising: a manifold in fluid communication with each of the pluralityof column bodies, the manifold extending substantially along the tops ofeach column body; and a reservoir in fluid communication with themanifold.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the paired column bodiesslidably and are independently coupled to the track by the supportbrace.
 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the paired column bodies arelaterally slidable across a width of the scaffold.
 4. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the reservoir is disposed beneath the plurality ofcolumns.
 5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a pump having aninlet port in fluid communication with the reservoir and an outlet portin fluid communication with the manifold.
 6. The system of claim 1wherein each of the soil-less vessels is sized and positioned to receivea netted pot.
 7. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a controlunit, the control unit comprising: at least one thermometer; at leastone air circulator; a humidity control device; a lamp controller; acarbon dioxide controller; an air heating/cooling system; a pump influid communication with the irrigation system; and a processorconfigured to monitor and control the control unit to establish andmaintain preset environmental conditions.
 8. The system of claim 1wherein each column body further comprises a first side and a secondside, the plurality of soil-less vessels arranged substantiallyvertically along the first and seconds sides of each column body.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of lamps directed atthe plurality of paired column bodies.
 10. The system of claim 9 whereineach of the plurality of lamps are affixed to the scaffold, the lampsconfigured to emit light energy laterally towards the plurality ofsoil-less vessels.
 11. The system of claim 9 wherein each of theplurality of lamps are affixed to the scaffold, the lamps horizontallyaligned with a row of soil-less vessels across the paired column bodies.12. The system of claim 9 wherein the plurality of lamps are slidablyaffixed to the scaffold.
 13. The system of claim 9 wherein the pluralityof lamps comprises LEDs.
 14. A system for cultivating a plantcomprising: a first and second set of paired column bodies, each columnbody of each set comprising: an conduit defined and extending from a topof the column body to a bottom of the column body; a plurality ofvessels arranged substantially vertically along the column, each of theplurality of vessels disposed at an angle offset from a central axis ofthe column and in fluid communication with the conduit, each vessel isadapted to retain a plant at the angle offset from the central axis;wherein each of the paired column bodies are connected to a supportbrace; a scaffold, each of the first and second set of paired columnbody sets coupled to the scaffold by the support brace and independentlyslidable with respect to the scaffold; a beam extending laterally acrossthe scaffold; a track affixed to the beam, each support brace slidablyaffixed to the track; and an irrigation system comprising a manifoldextending substantially along the tops of the column bodies and areservoir, the manifold of the irrigation system in fluid communicationwith each of the conduits of each of the column bodies; and a controlunit comprising, at least one thermometer; at least one air circulator;a humidity control device; a lamp controller; a carbon dioxidecontroller; an air heating/cooling system; a pump in fluid communicationwith the irrigation system; and a processor configured to monitor andcontrol the control unit to establish and maintain preset environmentalconditions.